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Hello everyone, Since Nessa's thread is archived, and I still have many questions, I thought I might create my own thread to ask all you Canada goons for a little information. A little about me/my situation: I'm British, my boyfriend is French, we're both under 30 yo, and we live in relatively small-town France. I've been here for most of my life and I'm sick of France and have no prospects for my life, but I'm pretty sure that if I stay here, I'll end up losing my mind. We both speak fluent French and English. I don't have a college degree, but my boyfriend has a bachelor's degree, and I don't have the foggiest on what I want to do with my life. What I do have is 4 years of work experience in a lovely hotel as a round the clock receptionist, so there's that. What do I need to do/know to gtfo of here? Is this a stretch? Am I unbelievably stupid for wanting to do this? Should I settle for something a little more realistic? I've thought of just going elsewhere in Europe, but (and as stupid as this sounds) I don't want to be confined to one continent when there is still so much of the world to see and experience. I've done some basic research on the internet, but I'm not sure I've covered all the different angles there are to Canadian immigration. If there's anybody out there who can shed some light, I'd be eternally grateful. What kinds of jobs are recruiting over there? How do I get hired overseas with my current skillset? Tell me anything, I'm open to anything, ideas, suggestions, criticism.
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Jan 5, 2019 18:18
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I'm moving to Canada in a few months on a Working Holiday Visa as part of the IEC programme.As you're under 30, your best bet is the IEC. The IEC is a 2-year work visa and you're in luck because the candidate pools are open. However holy poo poo there is no guarantee you'll ever get out of the pool; candidates are selected randomly. Entering the pool is free, but the total application cost is $250 and you will need to pay for a police certificate from any country you've lived in for more than 6 months (after the age of 18) and you may also need to pay for biometrics collection - my IEC intake was the last to NOT need biometrics so I can't help you with how any of that works. Go here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/iec/eligibility.asp "Where you're from" refers to what type of passport you have so bear that in mind if you have both French and British passports. You can apply twice if you do, but apply with just one for now. You can check the odds on this page. Creating a profile will enter you into the candidate pool and with luck the great Canadian Sky God will select you to apply. If you are selected, you get 10 days to decide whether you wish to apply. After you decide that you do, you will have 20 days to finish the application. You get one shot at this. If you fail to complete the application after accepting the invitation you won't be able to apply again (on the same passport). You CAN decline the invitation safely. Provided your documents are in order and you've not been caught during one of your bitcoin fueled rampage nights you will get what's called a "Port of Entry letter" which you need to take to the Canadian border within 12 months of receiving it (mine was sent to me on April 25 2018 so I must arrive in Canada by April 25 2019). When you show this letter to the border agent you must also show them copies of all the documents you provided in your application as well as proof that you have the equivalent of at least $2500 CAD (this will be in the form of a signed+stamped statement from your bank and it needs to be 7 or less days old) and an insurance plan that covers repatriation and lasts as long as you intend to stay; show up with an insurance plan that covers you for 14 days and you will get a 14 day visa. The visa cannot be extended once gained. If you use Zuckerbook there's an FB group which is actually pretty good of people applying for the IEC sharing their experiences and asking/answering questions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/554878824565998 THE MAJOR CATCH is that the IEC only gives you two years of Canadian working residency and after that time is up, if you intend to get permanent residency, you will need to explore other options. I'm still trying to work out what those are myself! In terms of jobs n poo poo? I dunno. I'm fairly pathetic as well and basically just hoping it all works out. I'm not an expert at this at all. Very much flying by the seat of pants; poo poo I move in 100 days from today and I am bricking it but hopefully the info above helps you.
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Jan 8, 2019 09:11
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Thanks! I entered submitted a request for entrance into the FB group, and also created a profile and entered the selection pool. Pretty sure there's nothing more I can do at this point, but at least that's done and dusted. Thank you so so much for the information! I hope your move goes well, and keep me updated! I'm interested 
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Jan 8, 2019 18:55
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Hi, I did the IEC thing and spun it into staying permanently (well, presuming CIC don't take so long about sending the docs out that my work permit expires  )Nobody Interesting posted:In terms of jobs n poo poo? I dunno. I'm fairly pathetic as well and basically just hoping it all works out. While it might, it's probably a bit irresponsible to leave it hanging if you're not sitting on a really huge pile of money. Where are you headed to and, broadly, what do you plan to do? I can't speak for Ontario etc but if you're heading out west it is absolutely possible to get work lined up before you arrive. No guarantees, of course, but still. Are you intending to stay, or bugger off home after two years? If you want to stick around it's generally possible, but depending on what your background is the timing can be challenging if you don't set to it fairly quickly. Horsey McHorseface posted:Hello everyone, - Odds of having your name pulled out of the hat vary hugely by country. The UK one has taken until about Christmas, so 2-3 months, for the number of applicants to match the number of spots for the couple of years I was looking at it, looks like this year they opened later but same principle basically applies. Obviously not everyone will get drawn but if you're in there when they open up your odds are fine and they're not too bad even if you're not, not least because the quota has been increased to 8000 in the spring for the last couple of years. The French one has always seemed massively oversubscribed from day one, which is to say that the odds of your partner getting one too are...less good. Are you both wanting to go, or are you flying solo? - Same question as above, really; do you have a particular destination in mind, and is there something you particularly want to do? Do you want to stay in one place, travel around a whole bunch, move regularly or irregularly... - Presuming you don't want to kill yourself already after four years of it, if you possess a pulse and have worked in hotels before you will never be unemployed anywhere between Calgary and the Pacific at the very least, if you actually speak French as well (gasp) the pulse is negotiable. The difficulty would rather be in finding somewhere to live at all, followed by the small detail of being able to afford wherever you found, because it's not something you're going to get rich doing. How do you feel about dormitories and/or living in a van?
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Jan 9, 2019 12:52
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Pretty rad dad pad posted:
I have no idea where I am heading or what I want to do. While that might make things difficult to assess, I feel that it keeps my options open. Pretty rad dad pad posted:Are you intending to stay, or bugger off home after two years? If you want to stick around it's generally possible, but depending on what your background is the timing can be challenging if you don't set to it fairly quickly. Good question. I'm fine with staying as I'd rather not have to come back here ever, but that might change after a while. How does my background affect my odds in this case? Pretty rad dad pad posted:- Odds of having your name pulled out of the hat vary hugely by country. The UK one has taken until about Christmas, so 2-3 months, for the number of applicants to match the number of spots for the couple of years I was looking at it, looks like this year they opened later but same principle basically applies. Obviously not everyone will get drawn but if you're in there when they open up your odds are fine and they're not too bad even if you're not, not least because the quota has been increased to 8000 in the spring for the last couple of years. The French one has always seemed massively oversubscribed from day one, which is to say that the odds of your partner getting one too are...less good. Are you both wanting to go, or are you flying solo? Well that's at least a little reassuring. The whole thing was my idea, and my partner is on board with it. Ideally, we'd like to go together, but I understand that there is a very real possibility of us not being able to go at the same time, provided even one of us gets picked. I'm more desperate to leave than he is though. I want to say that we'll cross that bridge when we come to it? Pretty rad dad pad posted:- Same question as above, really; do you have a particular destination in mind, and is there something you particularly want to do? Do you want to stay in one place, travel around a whole bunch, move regularly or irregularly... Again, whatever gives me better odds of being picked. Having said that, I wouldn't mind moving around a bit, if at all possible. Pretty rad dad pad posted:- Presuming you don't want to kill yourself already after four years of it, if you possess a pulse and have worked in hotels before you will never be unemployed anywhere between Calgary and the Pacific at the very least, if you actually speak French as well (gasp) the pulse is negotiable. The difficulty would rather be in finding somewhere to live at all, followed by the small detail of being able to afford wherever you found, because it's not something you're going to get rich doing. How do you feel about dormitories and/or living in a van? Yeah, I speak fluent French and English, and I'm pretty fluent in Spanish even though I'm a bit rusty due to lack of practise. If working in a hotel will get me in, then so be it. I'd rather not put myself through that again, but I don't think I'm in a position to be picky right now. I'm not looking to get rich, just to afford my own place and necessities, and I'd rather not have to live in a van/dormitory if I can avoid it. Would minimum wage not support basic needs for rent/food/utilities? I'm sorry I can't be more precise at this point. The reality of it is that I'm willing to try pretty much anything, and again, seeing as I don't have a degree, I don't have the luxury of being too picky. I've hope the information that I have provided will be helpful to you though, and I really appreciate your help so far.
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Jan 9, 2019 16:56
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Pretty rad dad pad posted:While it might, it's probably a bit irresponsible to leave it hanging if you're not sitting on a really huge pile of money. Where are you headed to and, broadly, what do you plan to do? I can't speak for Ontario etc but if you're heading out west it is absolutely possible to get work lined up before you arrive. No guarantees, of course, but still. Heading to Calgary! Won't be totally alone as I have a few friends out there, one of whom I'll be staying with for a bit. Hopefully it won't turn into a terrible Will Farrell buddy comedy where I never get off his sofa and spend half my time covered in dorito entrails. Not gonna be totally penniless either, my savings allow me to live for a bit and escape back to the UK if it all goes to poo poo. I am working on looking at jobs and stuff before I turn up. I am indeed hoping to have something lined up before I get there - if you had additional tips in that area they won't be falling on deaf or unappreciative ears!
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Jan 9, 2019 20:47
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Horsey McHorseface posted:Good question. I'm fine with staying as I'd rather not have to come back here ever, but that might change after a while. How does my background affect my odds in this case? As regards IEC, it doesn't - it's basically an open work permit, no-one cares (barring curiousity) where you go or what, if anything, you do for work. There are a wide variety of provincial/federal immigration programs if you are wanting to stick around afterwards, though, and some of those will only be open to you if you have a degree, particular work experience, are working in a particular job classification etc. quote:Well that's at least a little reassuring. The whole thing was my idea, and my partner is on board with it. Ideally, we'd like to go together, but I understand that there is a very real possibility of us not being able to go at the same time, provided even one of us gets picked. I'm more desperate to leave than he is though. I want to say that we'll cross that bridge when we come to it? I guess what I'd say is that Canada will still be here in a year. Rushing into stuff like this isn't always for the best, and having two people will generally make things easier purely from a practical perspective, never mind from the POV of having someone to spend time with! quote:I wouldn't mind moving around a bit, if at all possible. It does depend on where you go, and to a certain extent when you go. Vancouver's expensive (though, as far as renting, not so much as is generally thought - the real eye-popper is actually buying), Calgary not so much. Your odds of finding work scale to match. Housing costs in smaller towns can be all over the place, and not always in sync with your ability to earn money - more problematic is that stuff just isn't always advertised; here in Golden a room in a house would probably run you $600-700 per month, an apartment $900-1200...if you can find them, usually not too hard around April or October (ie between the summer tourist season and the ski hill opening/closing), can be quite difficult mid-season, and Golden is really comparatively cheap/accessible for what and where it is. Lots goes on in little town facebook trade groups, down the pub etc, if you limit yourself to big official classifieds then good luck with that. The van thing is serious enough, mostly in that if you're in it more for the travel it can work well - tons of people show up, buy a minivan with a bed in the back off someone going home from doing the same thing, and then just motor around looking at things - doesn't cost you much if you do settle down, and it's still ultimately a fine day-to-day car too. Dorms will often be offered along with work if you're somewhere very touristy, mostly so they can grab those people who are mostly travelling and want to settle down a bit, but not so much/for long enough that it's practical for them to find their own place to live (though, also sometimes because it's just straight-up too expensive otherwise - check out Whistler prices if you want to sweat a bit!)
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Jan 9, 2019 21:30
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Nobody Interesting posted:Heading to Calgary! Won't be totally alone as I have a few friends out there, one of whom I'll be staying with for a bit. Hopefully it won't turn into a terrible Will Farrell buddy comedy where I never get off his sofa and spend half my time covered in dorito entrails. Not gonna be totally penniless either, my savings allow me to live for a bit and escape back to the UK if it all goes to poo poo. See, I can't stand the place and try to spend as little time as possible there (I live approx. here: https://goo.gl/maps/CdVR9gpRFyv ) so I can't say anything too specific Calgary is in a bit of a depression and has been for a while, basically in tune with oil prices - not so much that the industry is local per se but it's the major admin/technical/HQ centre for most of the oil sands operations. The flip side to that is that it's pretty cheap, housing easy to find (https://www.rentfaster.ca/) and anecdotally I'd say the non-oil economy isn't as badly off as is assumed - whenever I'm there there seem to be tons of 'hey come work for us' signs, though you may be stacking shelves for a bit. If you're going to stay in the city you probably won't get too much back from job applications until you're here, though, just in that noone's going to hire for a retail job three months in advance. If you're heading into the parks, though, or anywhere remote, the tourism economy usually tries to start hiring between now-ish and March for about mid April to early May starts; some (though not all) of the really poo poo front line service industry stuff like flipping burgers etc have workforces imported wholesale from the Philippines, India etc, but hotels, attractions, places that are a bit more 'professionally' managed are all used to hiring WHV kids and you can probably find somewhere that'd love to have you agree right now (or, at least, in the next few weeks) to start in April or May. Absence of adverts also doesn't mean they're not hiring! It can be a bit old fashioned like that, no electronic aptitude tests here, walking in and saying gizzajob definitely still a thing. https://crmr.com/careers/positions/ is a fair representative example for one of the more 'boonies' places. YMMV as to how you'd find the experience, though, some people get on with being in the middle of nowhere and others...not so much. For BC in general, again, small town stuff can be a bit opaque - to take here (Golden) as an example, broad searching you could look at WorkBC or Indeed or whatever centralised job board (Go2HR for touristy stuff also), but then https://ekemployment.org/ is the local employment office and the jobs that get posted there often aren't anywhere else. Similar will apply most smaller places in BC - there are about 20? regional employment offices and they usually don't go out of their way to advertise to anyone who doesn't already know who they are. It's all a bit 1970s in some respects (Canada in a nutshell right there...) but then that's not necessarily a bad thing. Pretty rad dad pad fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Jan 10, 2019 |
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Jan 9, 2019 22:31
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Thanks for the links! I guess I wouldn't mind being in the middle of nowhere if I had a method of transportation. So long as I'm not stuck in the middle of nowhere, it should be fine. I'm not necessarily looking for a car though. A bike, or a bus should be fine, at least in summer. Pretty rad dad pad posted:... Yeah? Well, that's fine for a starter. Might have to go with the van thing for a while because I doubt stacking-shelves will be able to get me a place to rent. Then again, I don't know. What's the average hourly wage over there? Pretty rad dad pad posted:I guess what I'd say is that Canada will still be here in a year. Rushing into stuff like this isn't always for the best, and having two people will generally make things easier purely from a practical perspective, never mind from the POV of having someone to spend time with! I hear what you're saying. I don't know half as much as I should to be actually putting anything into motion right now. I'm seriously considering it, but as far as planning and taking actual action go, I'm not there yet. More research required. Pretty rad dad pad posted:Housing costs in smaller towns can be all over the place, and not always in sync with your ability to earn money - more problematic is that stuff just isn't always advertised; here in Golden a room in a house would probably run you $600-700 per month, an apartment $900-1200...if you can find them... Is sharing a house with someone for a short while a viable option in your opinion? Or would the van option be better? At the risk of asking you to repeat yourself, how much does the average rent cost over there?
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Jan 11, 2019 16:31
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Canada barely has functioning public transportation in its major cities, if you live outside of the city you will NEED a car. Also, rent is so, so different depending on where you go. Keep in mind that Canada is something like fourteen times the size of France. If you want more specific answers to questions, you're going to want to narrow down where in Canada you want to live.
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Jan 11, 2019 22:33
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HookShot posted:Canada barely has functioning public transportation in its major cities, if you live outside of the city you will NEED a car. Oh wow, really? Okay, get a car... Got it. As for where I want to go, no idea yet. If I had to be more specific, I'd say BC, Ontario or Alberta?
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Jan 12, 2019 03:14
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Horsey McHorseface posted:Oh wow, really? Okay, get a car... Got it. Still not really specific Here's the essence of your problem: Intellectually I was prepared for the distances when I moved here. It was...interesting to actually put things in perspective, though. I had a car before I left the UK, and in about a year of driving to work and back every day, plus the odd trip out, I managed to cover about 1500 miles/2400km. When I moved here, I landed in Vancouver and bought a car, because although there was (at the time) actually a bus that'd eventually get me where I needed to be for work, it'd take...a while. My drive, just from where I landed to where I was going to be working, was a hair short of 2000km, and though I took a while about it so I could go see things I later had cause to drive from Whitehorse to Golden, which is about 2500km and which I did in two days. As in, get up in the morning, do nothing but drive for an entire day, sleep, repeat. If you're going out west, public transport now only very barely exists outside of major cities. Greyhound (who you've probably heard of at least) used to run buses across Canada, but they stopped service back in October except I think Vancouver to Seattle so, again to take Golden as an example, if I want to go to Calgary (the nearest major city, approx. three hours/300km away) my public transport options are: - One bus a week, run by a weird, sketchy little bus company set up by a crazy Turkish dude that communicates, essentially, exclusively via Facebook. (They've been running for three months now and I still haven't met anyone who's used them or even managed to buy a ticket, so I doubt they're long for this earth either, since the idiot didn't do any advertising) - One or two minibuses a week run by the local ski resort, which go to Lake Louise (about an hour and a half away) so that you can spend one to several hours waiting to catch another, entirely unrelated bus from there. They might let you on if you're not a skier, depending on how busy they are. - Hitchhiking. YMMV. I tend to pick up hitchhikers; I have picked up people who've managed to cross the continent in a week, and I've also picked up people who've been stood out in a blizzard for four hours and been ignored by thousands of people. (I've also, on a hunch, rescued a coworker who, having ragequit his job, failed to get picked up in six hours of walking down the ALCAN, probably because he was dressed like he'd just stepped off the loving Titanic down to the fur coat; there aren't too many vicious superpredators out there, but your life expectancy sat on your backpack at 1am four hours from the nearest town is shorter than I'd like...yeah, go north if you're a brokebrained sadsack, it'll change your life alright That dude would have been even more comprehensively hosed nowadays, because I at least managed to talk the Greyhound driver into taking him to Fort Nelson, this at 3:30 in the drat morning and him not having a cent on him; but, whoops, no Greyhound any more! )Do you absolutely have to have a car? Well, people manage without them. It is, however, often not by choice, and if outside the biggest cities in the country, you'd better pack drat light and think extremely hard about where you are and where you're going, though. Financially, I'd say you could do ok on a single minimum wage full-time-ish income in Calgary, presuming you're frugal. Alberta's minimum wage is $15/hr, which helps. BC, your income will be the same or possibly a bit lower, costs higher to brain-breaking depending on where you go. At that point there does exist the question of what you're getting out of it that you couldn't get out of going and working at a ski resort in the Alps or moving to Paris or w/e, of course...
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Jan 12, 2019 10:31
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Yeah. I think it's pretty safe to assume I'm not at all prepared for the actual distances between two given points over there, haha. I think the longest you can go from coast to border here is 800km. I might need a reality check. The good thing is, nothing is set in stone as of yet so there is time to backtrack if need be. As for what I might get out of it? Well something new and different. I'll admit though, moving halfway across the world just to do something different is a little strange seeing as I could probably move somewhere else in Europe much more easily and with much less risk of overestimating something and being completely stuck if it all goes to poo poo. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't want to stay in France. That much is certain. And in Canada they speak two languages so I feel my skillset might be useful there, but maybe I'm wrong. I've thought about moving to another town/region, and it's still an open possibility. Just not Paris. Good lord I would do pretty much anything to not have to live in Paris. I guess part of the problem is that I have no idea what the gently caress I want to do with my life. Another part of the problem is that sadbrains/brokebrains are probably blurring my judgement significantly, so I'm trying to keep things as realistic as possible. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as obnoxious by not specifically answering your questions. I do really appreciate your input though
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Jan 12, 2019 18:40
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In one part of Canada they speak two languages. I live in British Columbia and the fact that I am fluent in French has been helpful exactly one time in my life while living here, to get my French Immersion high schol degree.
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Jan 12, 2019 23:29
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So should a reassessment be in order? (Note: that was not intended in a sarcastic way. I'm honestly interested in what you guys think)
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Jan 16, 2019 03:54
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I don't necessarily think a reassessment should be in order, but you need to do some research and narrow down your decision to a lot more than just "Canada", and even further down than just provinces. I can drive for ten hours east or north and still be in British Columbia. Honestly, it sounds like you haven't travelled around very much at all ever, and I would recommend that you do that first before making any solid plans. There certainly are worse places in the world than Canada coming from France (ask my mom who moved here for a year in the 80s and still lives here now) but it's also very, very different to small-town France.
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Jan 16, 2019 04:43
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I appreciate that. While I have travelled a fair bit around Europe, I've barely ever left the continent so you make a good point. On the other hand.... Holy poo poo balls, it appears I've just been selected to apply for an IEC permit...
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Jan 16, 2019 13:15
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Horsey McHorseface posted:I appreciate that. Seems that came at a less than optimal time. Just in case you weren't aware and would like it in plain English: you can decline the invitation and rejoin the pool later. There's no harm done there. However if you accept the invitation and then either don't submit, withdraw your application, or fail to complete it in time you won't receive another invitation. I hope whatever happens this all turns out well for you and your partner. Keep us updated!
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Jan 16, 2019 22:46
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Nobody Interesting posted:Creating a profile will enter you into the candidate pool and with luck the great Canadian Sky God will select you to apply. If you are selected, you get 10 days to decide whether you wish to apply. After you decide that you do, you will have 20 days to finish the application. You get one shot at this. If you fail to complete the application after accepting the invitation you won't be able to apply again (on the same passport). You CAN decline the invitation safely. Nobody Interesting posted:Seems that came at a less than optimal time. Just in case you weren't aware and would like it in plain English: you can decline the invitation and rejoin the pool later. There's no harm done there. However if you accept the invitation and then either don't submit, withdraw your application, or fail to complete it in time you won't receive another invitation. I'm a little unclear on the deadlines here. I've got 10 days to accept or decline. If I accept, I've got another 20 days on top of that to actually get all the necessary documents for the application together. And if I refuse at this stage, I can always reenter later, and invoke the great Canadian Sky God again. Am I getting this right? Sorry if I'm making you repeat yourself. I want to be 100% sure I've got this right.
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Jan 17, 2019 13:18
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Horsey McHorseface posted:I'm a little unclear on the deadlines here. I've got 10 days to accept or decline. If I accept, I've got another 20 days on top of that to actually get all the necessary documents for the application together. That's correct. You have 10 days to accept. If you accept, the 20 day deadline begins; if you accept 5 days after receiving your invitation, you will still have 20 days. If you decline you can reenter. There is no reentry if you accept.
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Jan 17, 2019 21:20
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Gotcha. Thank you. Well, after having discussed it with the boyfriend, I have decided to decline the invitation this time around. The timing was to complicated, and the fact that I still don't know what the gently caress I'd be doing there complicated matters further. I think I need a plan first, and then apply. Thank you all so much for your insight. I hope I'll get another opportunity like this that I'll be able to make good on in the future.
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Jan 22, 2019 13:21
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It's a bummer that you got the invite at totally the wrong time but I'm glad you didn't go balls to the wall on it. There's obviously a few things you need to think about here and while Canada is literally the answer to all of your problems, there are still plenty of other things you can do instead - best of luck with whatever that ends up being!
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Jan 23, 2019 00:42
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Thank you friend
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Jan 24, 2019 11:28
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I guess this is a bit late, but maybe useful for the future.Horsey McHorseface posted:
I don't know anything about the immigration system, but I do know something about the job market in the service industry in the big cities. If you're willing to deal with the service industry, you'll have no problems immediately getting an entry level job in Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal that will pay enough to live somewhat comfortably with one or two high-functioning roommates in an older apartment building in a pleasant part of town. You won't be saving for retirement or anything, but you'll have enough spending money to do fun stuff on your days off and support a recreational drug/booze habit. If you have a brain in your head and the ability to interact with customers (you don't need either of these things to get an entry level job), the company will be begging you to take a management position very soon after. The money isn't any better and the stress increases, but the way things stand now, you'd be valuable enough that whatever hotel/restaurant you're working for will be willing to go out of their way to write whatever letters are needed, using whatever facts (whether true or not) are needed in order to keep you in Canada beyond your 2 year visa. You're then another year or two from permanent residency and freedom from the service industry. I have multiple immigrants from the UK/Ireland/Aus in my social circle in Vancouver who are citizens or PR who have their status in this way. Regarding a visa for Quebec, there must be some other way for French citizens to come here (maybe they apply to Quebec directly? I know they have some freedom to choose their own immigrants) other than the handful of people who get in on the IEC, as there is like half a million French people in my parents' neighbourhood (Plateau), and they most certainly were not there 10 years ago!
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Feb 6, 2019 07:09
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Trying to figure out the viability of a grad school stipend I've been offered. Is 15,000 USD enough to get by in Montreal from September through May (won't be around during summers)? My prospective advisor assures me that it is, but I'm a bit skeptical. Note that I'd be on the hook for health insurance (international student).
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Mar 11, 2019 20:32
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Kreez posted:I guess this is a bit late, but maybe useful for the future. No, it's definitely useful for the future. I haven't completely given up on this project, but I'm willing to set it aside for a while to actually collect the necessary funds and do things correctly. From what you said about the service industry over there, it actually sounds quite tempting, and miles better than the service industry in France. Is there anything specific I need to be looking out for when looking for a job there? Deal breakers or some other trap that I may not be aware of?
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Mar 12, 2019 02:12
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Vernacular posted:Trying to figure out the viability of a grad school stipend I've been offered. Is 15,000 USD enough to get by in Montreal from September through May (won't be around during summers)? My prospective advisor assures me that it is, but I'm a bit skeptical. Note that I'd be on the hook for health insurance (international student). Not including health insurance since I have no idea what that would cost, it would be tight, but doable. You certainly wouldn't be living the high life, but you wouldn't be completely homeless either unless you ate out every night.
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Mar 12, 2019 02:27
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Horsey McHorseface posted:No, it's definitely useful for the future. I haven't completely given up on this project, but I'm willing to set it aside for a while to actually collect the necessary funds and do things correctly. There's nothing massively sketchy to look out for, like any big city there's seedy stuff but you'd have to be specifically seeking it out, or being preyed upon by some schmuck hunting around in places of work or boarding houses full of recently arrived immigrants from the developing world. Take a look at craigslist or 86network and you can get an idea of the number of "easy" jobs there are at the moment. Anyone posting jobs online certainly doesn't have staff lining up to work there and is somewhere between nervous about their staffing situation and desperate, so you can be fairly certain that if you're remotely qualified for the job there's a good chance you'll get it. There's a ton of word of mouth only jobs as well though, many of them filled by staff being offered cash bonuses for referring their friends (read: poaching staff from their previous jobs). This next recommendation I'm less sure about than everything else I've written, but if I were you I'd strongly consider Montreal over Vancouver (unless you have a major outdoors thing) or Toronto. The industry there is generally a bit higher end and independent, your not just being bilingual, but having two exotic accents will actually be valued rather than ignored, living is much cheaper, and Montreal is the best. There's presumably a reason the entire nation of France is moving there (though personally I'd kill to go live in the tiny town in the south of France some of my extended family still live in). Kreez fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Mar 18, 2019 |
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Mar 18, 2019 06:35
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Hey I had a few beers and thought maybe I should check out Canada? Like for fun. Is that a thing? I've been to Seattle a lot, so Vancouver is just Canadian Seattle right? Toronto is... Canadian Buffalo? Maybe not, seems bigger and less sad?! Montreal seems unique enough? Go there? What's the best Canadian city to visit. My aunt moved to like a ski town in BC but I haven't been there yet, I could try that too but my wife hates the cold weather. I like it enough.
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May 19, 2019 06:07
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If you work for a multinational company like a hotel chain you can get an inter company transfer. Similar process for going to the US (L-1). No bachelors degree is required, these visas are exempt from certain requirements. So if you work for a company like marriot or any other chain for at least a year in the last three years you can transfer to Canada, and have a job lined up. These can be renewed and lead to permanent residence and citizenship(both the US and Canadian version). It is possible if you get married that your SO's visa would allow you to enter and work under an open work permit once they are a permanent resident(or vice versa). There are more options depending on the type of work they do and what degree they have. Specifically if they enter as a skilled worker under the NOC they can sponsor you and you can work.
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May 20, 2019 17:20
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TheReverend posted:Hey I had a few beers and thought maybe I should check out Canada? Depends what you are looking for in a vacation. Vancouver and the surrounding area is a beautiful city with a variety of landscapes. I would say kind of like Seattle and San Diego smashed together with a sprinkle of Portland. It can be rainy but it can also be very sunny with great surfing opportunities. If you're into cool hipster neighborhoods and outdoors activities it works be a good choice. Also, Canada isn't all polar bears and igloos unless you're really up north: that ski town is likely pretty mild in the summer. Montreal is a fun city if you want a European flair to the place and tons of cultural activities is personally my favourite city in the country. Toronto is a huge sprawling city that gets a lot of slack because it's so huge and ugly, with really generic architecture. But if you want to visit a huge city that is a melting pot of tons of cultures, it can certainly be enjoyable. It also has tons of things to do as a tourist. Another option is Halifax and the rest of Nova Scotia if you want to road trip and have a Celtic flavour. kuddles fucked around with this message at 20:12 on May 20, 2019 |
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May 20, 2019 19:54
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Most of BC and western Alberta are great if you want to do hiking or camping or other outdoors stuff, but in terms of a more city-focused vacation I'd recommend Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax probably. I live in Calgary -- I'd not advise making that a focus of your vacation, but it's acceptable as a point of entry if you're headed to Banff or into eastern BC -- and those three cities are the only places I think I'd actually spend money to visit in Canada.
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May 20, 2019 21:20
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Figured I'd check in because I remembered this thread and rad dad's (warranted) scepticism. I moved to Calgary last April and things went pretty great. I got a temp job and an affordable basement within about 3 weeks. I also ended up meeting a lady and that went a bit too well so we live together now. Did go jobless for a bit after the temp stuff expired, but said lady also ended up being hospitalised in the ICU with a loving pulmonary embolism jesus christ. Landed another job after that then the plague happened. So in no way whatsoever was my emigration a typical story - most people don't meet partners who go on to nearly loving die within a few weeks of landing - but I think the luck with regards to job 'n' place getting is worth sharing and goes to show that poo poo can really work out when it has to. But I will admit that I was still stupidly loving lucky and holy poo poo could it all have gone so wrong really loving quickly. Comfy in the armageddon on CERB until that runs out. We're looking into spousal sponsorship so I can stay beyond my visa. Work experience-based PR isn't an option because 'rona. Once the world finishes ending though I'd definitely recommend trying Canada if you have the means but are in a rut.
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Jun 2, 2020 23:24
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TheReverend posted:Hey I had a few beers and thought maybe I should check out Canada? Vancouver is Seattle/San Francisco hybrid Toronto is Chicago but cleaner Calgary is Denver Winnipeg is Minneapolis (but 10% the size) Montreal is unique "ski town" in BC is pretty vague. Most of Canada is cold in the winter. Whistler is mostly tourists & Australians. The Okanogan valley (Penticton-Kelowna-Vernon-Kamloops) has multiple ski hills but is also the Napa valley of Canada (wine & golf) with hot warm summers and snowy & not that cold winters. **I am Canadian, living in Seattle (with US wife, house & kids). But also pending November election and recent political climate, are seriously looking at moving back to Canada. And if we do, Kelowna is 90% likely where we will move to.
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Oct 6, 2020 19:12
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